Sponsors (6)
The bill increases transparency and provides specialty crop exporters and Congress with more actionable trade data to support market strategy and oversight, but it raises administrative costs, risks diplomatic sensitivity, and may expose funding shortfalls without guaranteeing additional resources.
Specialty crop farmers and related exporters get annual, country- and measure-level analysis of foreign tariffs and non-tariff barriers, helping them target markets, shape business strategies, and support export advocacy.
Public stakeholders and industry gain clearer transparency through a machine-readable unclassified report plus a public comment process, improving accountability and allowing stakeholders to inform trade priorities and responses.
Congress receives more actionable information about executive-branch trade actions (e.g., Section 301, WTO cases, consultations), strengthening legislative oversight and enabling more informed policy or enforcement responses for taxpayers' benefit.
USDA and USTR will face increased administrative burden and costs to prepare detailed country- and measure-level economic estimates, which could divert agency resources and impose costs on taxpayers.
Publication of detailed trade analyses could create diplomatic friction or be perceived as adversarial by trading partners, risking strained relationships that might harm exporters and state-level trade interests.
Reporting that highlights unobligated or underused funds for exporters may not lead to additional funding or faster obligations, leaving affected farmers without the remedy they need despite exposure of gaps.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires annual machine-readable USDA reports (with USTR consultation) analyzing foreign tariffs, quotas, nontariff barriers, impacts on specialty crop export competitiveness, and related actions.
Introduced February 25, 2026 by Suzanne Bonamici · Last progress February 25, 2026
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, working with the U.S. Trade Representative, to produce an annual, machine-readable, unclassified report (with an optional classified annex) on the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop exports. The report must identify foreign tariffs, quotas, retaliatory tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, and nontariff barriers; estimate impacts on U.S. competitiveness and potential lost export value; assess coverage under international agreements; describe executive-branch actions taken or planned; report on specific unobligated program funds and reasons for non-obligation; and include a public comment process with consultation from the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables. The requirement increases transparency and data detail to help Congress, agencies, and industry understand trade barriers affecting specialty crops and to guide trade enforcement, negotiations, and related program funding decisions.